“Only as high as I reach can I grow,
only as far as I seek can I go,
only as deep as I look can I see,
only as much as I dream can I be.”

For the past year, we have been corresponding with Beverly Woolery, the director of the Educator Preparation Institute (EPI) at Polk State College in Winter Haven, Florida. The above quote by writer Karen Ravn is appended to all of Beverly’s correspondence, and we think it an apt and inspiring message from someone who believes, wholeheartedly, in the importance of the classroom teacher to student achievement.

Beverly wears the Excellence Award medal she received from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development for her commitment to high performance and extraordinary service to her students, her college, and her community.

EPI is an Alternative Certification Program for mid-career professionals and college graduates who were not education majors. This award-winning program trains and certifies individuals whose hope, dream, and aspiration is to make a difference in a child’s life. The EPI is the top program in Florida for recruiting, training, and retaining effective teachers in K-12 classrooms.

Beg, Borrow, and Steal

The credit for the success of EPI goes to Beverly Woolery and her attitude toward learning. She says, “I am a prodigious thief. I have stolen many great ideas from colleagues, colleges, conferences, articles, books, and speakers. I keep my eyes open and my ears pricked, ready to adapt and adopt at all times. I believe this is why EPI has been so successful and has had such an impact on the who, what, when, where, and how of K-12 teaching in Florida.”

EPI fosters the “beg, borrow, steal” mentality in student-teachers by hosting a Fill Your Toolbox activity night each month. Participants are encouraged to learn, have fun, and engage with their course mates by swapping ideas, insights, tips, and tricks.

What Beverly does for her EPI program is no different then what effective teachers do every day. Effective teachers are always on the alert for something new, different, or exciting they can add to their repertoire. Effective teachers are sharing with each other, encouraging each other, and collaborating on how to bring success to every child.

Program Components

In Polk County, the student body is approximately 51 percent Caucasian, 24 percent African American, and 22 percent Hispanic. More than 10,000 students speak a primary language other than English. As a result, there is an English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) component in every task, discussion, and class at EPI. Participants are required to translate all their assignments into a second language. This earns them 120 hours of ESOL in-service hours.

There are free online services that will translate text for you, such as www.freetranslation.com. Microsoft Office 2007 offers a translation tool in the Review tab. An EPI graduate, Mrs. Herndon, translated her Welcome Letter and Classroom Procedures into Spanish for her second grade classroom. Click here to see the results.

The EPI prepares the classroom bound teacher with instructors who are National Board Certified Teachers. Other program highlights include

A hybrid model of learning, with an emphasis on both face-to-face instruction and online research and discussion.

Free Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE) Workshops.

State approval for the Competency 2 Reading Endorsement—the alternative would be for students to take a 14-week Florida Online Reading Professional Development Course.

Specially developed tasks and rubrics for each of the twelve Florida Educator Accomplished Practices:

Assessment

Communication

Continuous Improvement

Critical Thinking

Diversity

Ethics

Human Development and Learning

Knowledge of Subject Matter

Learning Environments

Planning

Role of the Teacher

Technology

The Accomplished Practices are not taught in isolation. They are blended in a curriculum that fosters integration of practice. For instance, Classroom Management is taught using our DVD series, The Effective Teacher, and the work of Fred Jones, and is taught as part of Learning Environments and Role of the Teacher. After instruction takes place, the soon-to-be teachers are given a task to accomplish and a grading or scoring guide to assess how well they’ve done with the assignment.

A proud teacher, Beverly keeps in touch with many EPI graduates and talks animatedly about the successes participants have gone on to achieve in their teaching careers. George Bartuska’s name surfaced with Beverly’s glowing praise:

“I’m not sure that I have witnessed anyone work as hard in the program, take as many subject area tests, and continue professional development as relentlessly as George.”

We contacted George to hear his story first hand.

A Lifelong Dream

Now in his second year of teaching, George is the Engineering and Aerospace Instructor at Central Florida Aerospace Academy of Kathleen High School in Lakeland, Florida.

George’s journey to becoming an educator was a long and productive one. Fresh out of high school, he joined the Navy and had the opportunity to take free college courses at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego, California. Introduction to Education was one of the courses he signed up for—and the rest is history. The teaching bug bit! George would spend afternoons volunteering for Ms. Anne Breslauer, who ran a Visual-Perceptual Training Program in the Coronado School District for elementary school students with learning disabilities.

George says, “Working with children felt so rewarding. I knew that teaching would eventually be a part of my life.”

Making a Positive Impact

Fifteen years later, as a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), George launched an outreach activity that would lead him to visit classrooms, churches, and community organizations. George created an hour-long presentation called All About Bridges that he would tweak depending on his audience—students in grades K-12. The goal was to provide an interactive and engaging learning experience that would get students thinking about

why we build bridges (economics),

what bridges are constructed of (applied material sciences),

how a bridge works (simplified structural analysis),

how temperature affects bridges (thermal expansion and contraction), and

operational problems (failure analysis and preventative maintenance).

Most importantly, George would share with his audience, “How do you become an engineer or any other occupation?” George’s presentation may have been on bridges—a topic all students could easily relate to—but the real message was about the importance of reading.

“Reading has a tremendous impact on our minds.It can take us down roads, both real and imagined, that we never dreamt possible. Reading is the key to achieving our ambitions.”

George quickly gained a reputation as “The Bridge Man” who made civil engineering fascinating to even the youngest and most restless members of his audience. In 2006, he was awarded the National ASCE Citizen Engineer Award. Encouraged by the positive impact George was making in the community, George’s colleagues urged him to create a “How To” document for those who wanted to do the same, but did not have a clue where to start. A Guide to Making Classroom Presentations to School Audiences was born. Click here to see George’s How to guide.

Some highlights from George’s How to document:

You only get one chance to make a good impression. The very first thing students hear you say can set the stage for their perception of you, and determine whether they give you their attention, or tune you out.

Begin by summarizing your purpose. Explain the beginning, middle, and end of your presentation. For instance, “Students, today we are going to learn how to measure rainfall. First, we will learn about where rain comes from. Second, we will learn about the instruments used to measure rainfall. Third, we will learn how to become a meteorologist.”

Set clear limits and boundaries immediately. For instance, if students are noisy and unruly when you enter the room, say, “Class, I have only one rule: Either I talk, or you talk. And if you are going to talk, then I’m out of here.”

Understand the “Fear of Not Knowing” and the “Need to Be Right.” Try not to say “No” or “That’s the wrong answer.” Instead, say, “That’s a good answer, but not the one I’m looking for,” or “That’s close, you’re warm, think a little harder.” Then, give students a hint or clue.

The Opportunity

It was George’s wife who heard about Polk State College’s Educator Preparation Institute. Impressed by Beverly and the passionate team of National Board Certified Teachers who taught the program, George jumped at the opportunity to turn his dream of teaching into reality.

When George graduated, he joined a brand new academy and found all his time consumed by the task of developing curricula for two new courses. Between that and surviving the daunting task of teaching teenagers, George found himself wondering how anyone could find the time to implement the strategies in The First Days of School. His EPI course work told him how to do it, but he needed to find the time to do it.

By the end of his first year, George was exhausted. Things had to change. When the local teacher’s union offered a workshop to assist new teachers, George eagerly enrolled. Directed by a veteran teacher, the workshop provided an arsenal of examples of classroom-tested practices, procedures, rules, techniques utilized by the facilitator, and the contributions of other teachers.

George knew a life raft when he saw it. He grabbed all the handouts he could and began modifying and tailoring what other teachers had found effective. By the end of the process, he had developed a set of procedures, rules, and consequences specifically targeted toward teenagers.

George’s second year of teaching rolled out the way he wished his first year had—Ninth graders making their transition into high school and adulthood were displaying self-discipline, mutual respect, and an understanding of classroom boundaries. Establishing structure in the classroom had made all the difference.

George began his second year in the classroom establishing procedures and routines before introducing the content to the students. He realized in his first year he had no structure. He was just teaching and disciplining all day long. The students did not know how to be responsible for themselves or to the classroom environment. Over the summer, George developed his plan and worked it the moment the bell rang to start his second year of teaching. Click here to see George’s classroom procedures, rules, and consequences.

If It Works, Use It

George stumbled upon a technique that helps students hold on to their papers. All he has to do is write the student’s name with a permanent marker, and the student knows to keep the item and not lose it.

George discovered this as he was preparing for a substitute one day. He thought putting the names on the papers would help with taking an accurate roll count. To his amazement, when George returned to class the next day, he found that every one of his students still had their handouts. When he asked his students what made the handout so “sticky,” they said, “Simple, it had our names on it!” George now swears by this technique and uses it whenever he has the time to insert the names.

Applied Classroom Management for Everyone

George says, “My first year of teaching was crazy, but I realize in retrospect that it would have been easier and less crazy if I had been able to create and put into practice my own classroom procedures, rules, and consequences from day one.

“An engineer appreciates his engineering reference books, and most engineers possess a collection of texts relevant to their area of expertise. The most cherished and sought after books have the word ‘applied’ somewhere in the title.

“That is exactly what The First Days of School was for me—Applied Classroom Management, Applied Positive Student Expectations, Applied Effective Teacher Characteristics, Applied Lesson Design Mastery, and Applied Teacher Professionalism—all in one text!”

For George, he brings his life experience to the classroom and incorporates his lessons and learning in a unique way. He knows what works for him and his students and he adapts the procedures, routines, rules, and consequences to make it work for him and his students. He is a masterful engineer of building bridges to the future for his students.

Building Bridges

Designs of bridges vary depending on their function and nature of the landscape. There are beam bridges, cantilever bridges, arch bridges, suspension bridges, cable-stayed bridges, and truss bridges. Your classroom is the bridge to tomorrow for your students. The design is up to you to steal from the best bridge makers at your school and create the structure in your classroom for your students to thrive in and succeed. Sir Isaac Newton remarked we build too many walls and not enough bridges.

The father of modern science had great insight into today’s classrooms. Walls are confining; bridges are elevating. Providing structure in a classroom is not about building walls, it is about building bridges so that students can cross to regions unknown—safely, securely—with the support of a knowledgeable teacher.

Bridges are the superhighways of dreams. Create an environment for your students to imagine dreams and provide a path for them to achieve their wishes come true.

Harry and Rosemary Wong have been writing columns for Teachers.Net for over 13 years and the columns all have a distinctive style. They write about effective teachers, administrators, schools, and school districts featuring techniques that are immediately replicable and at no cost. More importantly, they work to enhance student learning. An archive of past articles can be found at the end of every column, with an abstract of all articles at the end of the most recent June column.

For over 30 years, helping teachers become effective has been the passion of the Wongs. Writing for Teachers.Net is just one of the many ways they reach out to educators with their ideas on how effective teachers improve student learning.

About Harry & Rosemary Wong...

Harry and Rosemary Wong are teachers. Harry is a native of San Francisco and taught middle school and high school science. Rosemary is a native of New Orleans and taught K-8, including working as the school media coordinator and student activity director.

Harry Wong has been awarded the Horace Mann Outstanding Educator Award, the National Teachers Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award, the Science Teacher Achievement Recognition Award, the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award, and the Valley Forge Teacher's Medal. He was selected as one of the most admired people in education by the readers of Instructor magazine. Rosemary was chosen as one of California's first mentor teachers and has been awarded the Silicon Valley Distinguished Woman of the Year Award. She was also honored as a Distinguished Alumnus from her alma maters, Southeastern Louisiana University and Louisiana State University.

Harry and Rosemary have been awarded the Upton Sinclair Award and were nominated for the Brock International Prize in Education. They have built and sustain a school in the jungles of Cambodia.

The Wongs are the most sought after speakers in education today, booked two years into the future. Their presentations are practical, offering a common sense, user-friendly, and no-cost approach to managing a classroom for high-level student success. Over a million teachers worldwide have heard their message. In spite of their heavily booked schedule, Harry and Rosemary have agreed to write this monthly column so that more people can hear their message.

How They Develop Effective Teachers...

Harry and Rosemary Wong are committed to developing effective teachers, one teacher at a time.
To do this, they have formed their own publishing company, of which Rosemary is the CEO.

THE Classroom Management Book is what everyone has been waiting for. It is an exhaustive extension of Unit C on classroom management in The First Days of School.

Turn chaos into student achievement

Reduce behavior issues; increase learning

Step-by-step plans to a well-managed classroom

50 procedures in detail

40 QR codes with additional resources

320 pages in full color

Complete first days of school plans

Suitable for all grades, all subjects, all teachers

Costs no money to implement

How to Be an Effective and Successful Teacheris an audio CD set that was recorded live before 800 teachers in St. Louis. Listen as they walk you through classrooms that hum with learning and share how you can replicate the same success in your classroom. In 2 hours and 40 minutes, Harry and Rosemary can transform you into a very effective and successful teacher at no cost!

This presentation has transformed the lives and teaching success of hundreds of thousands of teachers.Learn how to

Begin the school year with a plan

Start class immediately

Have a well-organized and structured classroom

Reduce discipline problems

Have students who are engaged and working

Teach procedures and responsibility

Maximize classroom instructional time

Use lesson objectives so students know what they are to learn

Use rubrics to assess for student learning

Deal with at-risk students

Improve student learning and achievement

The Wongs have written The First Days of School, the best-selling book ever in education. Over 3.8 million copies have been sold. It is used in 120 countries, 2,114 colleges, and most every new teacher induction program. The fourth edition has been translated into five foreign languages and includes:

An additional chapter on procedures

A new chapter on assessment with rubrics.

A new chapter on Professional Learning Teams

A new chapter for administrators on implementation

Additional information in Going Beyond Folders

A new DVD, Using THE FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL, presented by Chelonnda Seroyer

The Wongs have also produced the DVD series, The Effective Teacher, winner of the Telly Award for the best educational video of the past twenty years and awarded the 1st place Gold Award in the International Film and Video Festival.

They also have a successful eLearning course, Classroom Management with Harry and Rosemary Wong. The course can be taken in private at the learner's convenience. The outcome of the course is a 2 inch binder with a personalized Classroom Management Action Plan.

This Action Plan is similar to the organized and structured plan used by all effective teachers. Details for the classroom management course can be seen at www.ClassroomManagement.com.

You can hear Harry Wong LIVE on a set of CDs, called
How to Improve Student Achievement, recorded at one
of his many presentations. He invites you to steal from him the secrets of effective teaching for all grade levels.

Never Cease to Learn has the power to transform your
attitude and your life. In this DVD, Harry shares his journey on the road to success and tells listeners how to become the educators they were meant to be.

When the books, video series, CD, DVD, and eLearning course are used together, they form the most effective professional development training tool for producing effective teachers. Staff developers and administrators who would like to know how to implement the aforementioned book, video series, and CD are encouraged to consult the book, New Teacher Induction: How to Train, Support, and Retain New Teachers. Information about these products can be found by visiting the publisher's website at www.HarryWong.com.